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Barry Halper
Barry Halper (December 3, 1939 - December 18, 2005) was an extensive collector of baseball memorabilia who had been a limited partner owning about 1% of the New York Yankees. During the auction of the collection, Sotheby's Auction House called it the "World Series of Sports Auctions." Life Halper was born in 1939 and raised in Newark, New Jersey, living near Ruppert Stadium, home of the Newark Bears, then the Triple-A minor league farm team of the New York Yankees.Shouler, Ken. "Diamond Dreams: Baseball Memorabilia", Cigar Aficionado, September / October 1987. Accessed February 24, 2011. "Born Dec. 3, 1939, Barry Halper grew up near Rupert Stadium, a semipro baseball park in Newark, New Jersey." Halper attended the University of Miami, where he was a pitcher for the baseball team. He then went into the his family's paper supply business, where he worked until the company closed in 1992. A resident of New Vernon, New Jersey at the time of his death, Halper had been a longtime resident of Livingston, New Jersey.Goldstein, Richard. "Barry Halper, Baseball Memorabilia Collector, Dies at 66", The New York Times, December 20, 2005. Accessed February 24, 2011. "He once owned at least 80,000 baseball items, most having been displayed at his former home in Livingston, where a visitor pressing the front doorbell heard a rendition of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame.'" George Steinbrenner called Halper "a great baseball fan" who was a "dear friend, a valued partner for many years and a decent, genuine person". Barry Halper died at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey at the age of 66, in 2005 due to complications from diabetes.via Associated Press. "Barry Halper, noted memorabilia collector, dies at 66", ESPN, December 19, 2005. Accessed February 24, 2011. Collection Halper's baseball memorabilia collection was thought of as the finest, being both extensive and unusual. Many items, such as the uncut strip of T-206 cards with a Honus Wagner, were one of a kind. Halper's collection was housed in his basement, which had been outfitted like a small museum, including a hidden switch to a swing open panel, behind which were some of his most game-worn jerseys of famous players. The collection of game used jerseys included the only known examples of such players as Pud Galvin, Christy Mathewson, Cap Anson, King Kelly, Dan Brouthers, and the famed trio of Tinker / Evers / Chance. The infamous Joe Jackson was represented with jerseys from his minor league team as well as his Cleveland Indians jersey. The collection of dead ball era player jerseys was unrivaled. Some of the notable items in Halper's collection included: * Ty Cobb's autographed Philadelphia Athletics Jersey. (Sold for over 300,000 USD.) * Lou Gehrig's last baseball glove. (Sold for nearly 400,000 USD.) * Cap Anson's Chicago White Sox jersey * A glove from Mickey Mantle. (Purchased by Billy Crystal for over 230,000 USD.) * Mickey Mantle's New York Yankees World Series Ring. * The signed sale agreement that marked Babe Ruth's sale by the Boston Red Sox, to the Yankees * A ticket to the first World Series. * Lou Gehrig's 's Yankees hat. * Ty Cobb's dentures. * King Kelly's New York jersey * Christy Mathewson's first minor league jersey (Taunton) Following the Sotheby's auction, Halper remarked: Sotheby's released a three-volume book, The Barry Halper Collection of Baseball Memorabilia, that included over 1,500 color photographs of the collection, giving history for many of the items, details about Halper's collection through the years, and a history of baseball. In 1998, Halper sold the collection, with Major League Baseball purchasing many items, donating them to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The rest were auctioned off by Sotheby's for a record 21.8 million USD. Controversy In October of 2010, Hall of Fame spokesman Brad Horn told the New York Post that a Halper-donated jersey, supposedly worn by Shoeless Joe Jackson, was a fake. Horn stated that the logo utilized acrylic coloring first created in 1941. The jersey had been removed from display in 2008. Issues of authenticity have been raised with other auctioned items, including items purported to belong to Cy Young , Joe Dimaggio , Mickey Mantle , Ty Cobb , and others. Subsequent reports alleged that scores of items in Halper's collection had been stolen from the Baseball Hall of Fame, the New York Public Library, or other institutions. There have also been allegations that items in his collection were stolen from the wives or family members of deceased baseball stars. References Category:1939 births Category:2005 deaths Category:American collectors Category:American Jews Category:Baseball memorabilia Category:Deaths from diabetes Category:New York Yankees owners Category:People from Livingston, New Jersey Category:People from Morris County, New Jersey Category:People from Newark, New Jersey